Mayuri Restaurant: Like Inchin, but much much better

Restaurant: Mayuri Restaurant
5857 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057
Buffet or a-la-carte: Both
Date of visit: 1/17/14

Photo Credit: http://pics3.city-data.com/businesses/p/1/5/1/0/7221510.JPG

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be reviewing a rather high-end place: Mayuri restaruant. Mayuri restaurant is an Indian and Chinese restaurant chain, with other locations in Dallas, and St. Louis. It's located at the intersection of Westheimer and Fountainview. I came here because I for some reason had a craving for biryani. If you go on my instagram (thehalalreviewer), you will see that I have posted food jokes that mainly consist of biryani, and Desi (Indian/Pakistani) food habits. Also, I had a really interesting discussion on how every different city in India has its own distinct form of Biryani. Now normally I don't go out and eat Indian food, but because the conversation I had was interesting, I decided to give it a try. Today was the best day because I only had one class. I had plenty of time to check this place out before I had to go for the Friday Prayers. So after going through some accidents, I arrived at the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

Mayuri is located in the middle of the strip mall. It's easy to get there though. Once you get in, there are three sides. One is the main dining hall, the second is the buffet area, and the third is the party hall. When I came in, the tables were laid with a plate, a knife and fork ready! This is a huge plus, as it's rare to see tables being laid at a halal restaurant. Most of the times, I would either have to get them myself, or it comes with the menu. Once I got in, I was directed to a seat, and the waiter moved the other plate out of the way because I was dining myself. After ordering my drink, it was time to eat.

Let's Eat!

I had the buffet, which is offered at lunch time. If you come for dinner, unless you are at the party hall, it's a-la-carte. The buffet was divided into three parts: appetizers, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian. I took mostly non-vegetarian. The way I had the food was that one helping was Indian, and one helping was Chinese. TO drink, I got free water, and I got a Thums Up. No waiting time was necessary, as the food was actually fresh when I got the food. Also, fresh naan and dosa (Indian crepes) are readily available.

Menu: http://www.mayuri.com/houston/h-menu.html

Out of all the Indian restaurants I've been to, this has the most options available. In fact, it s so big that there are so many things to click to see. All of them span from Vegetarian to Indian non-Vegetarian to Chinese. The only thing I do not like is that sodas are charged $2.00. I believe that they should have the same price as the water, which is $1.75.

Indian plate: Chicken biryani, chicken 65, tandoori chicken, lamb curry, butter chicken and lamb

Chinese plate: Vegetarian noodles and garlic chicken

The Verdict: 

The food was awesome! From the Indian plate, everything tasted fresh and was full of quality except the lamb curry. The lamb curry could definitely add some flavor. The winners out of that plate were the chicken 65 and the chicken biryani. The Chinese food was very good. The noodles were absolutely fresh and the garlic chicken had a lot of flavor. The food was washed down with a glass of Thums Up and water.
The service was good too. The people were very attentive. They clean up after you when you are doing the buffet, unlike many restaurants. They are also very polite towards everyone. They provide fresh naan and dosa. The tables are ready when you come in, unlike some restaurants where you have to get everything by yourself.



Conclusion:
Mayuri now has the best buffet in Houston, in my honest opinion. This place is perfect for you to dine in whenever you are on a lunch break, if you have a party, or if you just want to have a family dinner. I will definitely recommend the buffet. I will definitely come for dinner and try their a-la-carte items.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Waiting Time: N/A
Total: 17/20 = 85% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of %%%%



Restaurant Information:
Mayuri Restaurant
5857 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057
Phone: (713) 975-6565
Website: http://www.mayuri.com/
Facebook: none
Timings: Lunch - Mon-Fri: 11 AM - 2:30 PM; Sat-Sun: 11:30 AM - 3 PM. Dinner: Sun-Thu: 5:30 PM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

CLOSED: Iqra Grill- A restaurant near Bush Airport

Restaurant: Iqra Grill
7031 FM 1960 Road West, Humble, TX 77338
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 12/28/13

Photo Credit: Me

UPDATE 1/31/16: This place has closed down

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to the last review of 2013! Sorry if it is late, my computer jacked up on me, and this review was not published when I actually did it before the new year. So for the last review of the year, I decided to review Iqra Grill. Iqra Grill is located opposite the area of Bush Intercontinental Airport on FM 1960 in a strip mall. It is located to an Indian/Pakistani supermarket that bears the same name. I had gone here because I was earlier in Humble doing some work for my parents. I had been up since 7 because I had to drive to the Toyota dealership in Spring and get my car serviced because it had to be recalled for some airbag condition. I had gotten really hungry because I skipped breakfast and ran out of my house. To add to that, the traffic in Humble was horrible. But thankfully after bearing through that, I arrived at the restaurant.

Let the Experience Begin!

The supermarket is like the one I usually go to back in Cypress. The difference is that it is attached to the restaurant. So basically if you want to dine in while you shop, you can eat here. The seating arrangement was decent, but what was so eerie was that I was the only customer eating in the restaurant! It felt weird. Never in my 10+ years of eating out have I been the only customer at ANY restaurant. When I came in, there was a person that was mopping the floor. He turned out to be the cashier. After waiting for him to go to the back of the cashier, I decided to place the order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered a light, healthy meal. I ordered the grilled chicken tikka leg. It came with vegetables and raita. To drink, I got a bottle of water. I paid a total of $6.48 (tax included). The waiting time was 17 minutes and 34 seconds, quite long for a single piece of chicken leg. 



Menu (Click to view): Grill menu, Desi Pizza, Appetizers, Kids Menu, Drinks, Desserts
The menu is a lot like Bundu Khan. What really interests me is the presence of Desi Pizza. Nothing else to report

Chicken Tikka leg with vegetales and raita

The Verdict:

So did the taste live up to Bundu Khan? The answer is no, and it's a no by a mile. The chicken tikka leg was very bland. There was hardly any taste in this dish. The vegetables were not fresh. The raita could have been a lot better if there wasn't so much water. The food was drained by a bottle of water. Overall, two thumbs down.

The service was nothing good or nothing bad. Within 30 minutes, I was out of the restaurant.

Conclusion:

Sadly, the only halal place in Humble was not that great. I've had better tikka at other restaurants. If you live in the northeast side if Houston, then I would suggest you drive to either Bundu Khan or the southwest side of town to get the best tikka.

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 6.5/10

Waiting time: 10/10

Total: 24.5/30 = 81.6% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
 Iqra Grill
7031 FM 1960 Road West, Humble, TX 77338
Phone: (281) 446-2836
Website: http://www.iqragrill.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iqragrill
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed 

Anothai Cuisine- Awesome Thai food

Restaurant: Anothai Cuisine
11049 FM 1960 West, Houston, Texas 77065
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/8/2014

Photo Credit: http://anothaicuisine.com/images/logo.jpg

========================================================================

UPDATE: 8/10/15

Been back on two occasions. Their red curry is really good. I again had the Pad Thai on my third trip

========================================================================

**ORIGINAL REVIEW**

Background:

Salam/hey guys. Sorry I am writing this review late. I've been busy around my house as I have guests coming over and a lunch party the next day. Today I am reviewing a new halal Thai restaurant in the north side of Houston. This restaurant is called Anothai. It's a welcoming change. There used to be a halal Thai place called Thai Chili, which was located next to Jamillah. It used to be halal before the management switched. I've been there long before I started this blog, and it was decent. I got the chance to go when I was going over to my friend's house to play Xbox. I had not eaten anything since the previous night, so I was really hungry. After a smooth drive, I arrived at the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin! 

Anothai has locations on FM 1960, Highway 290, and on Louetta Rd. Both places are halal. The one I went to is on FM 1960. The restaurant is located near the intersection of FM 1960 and Jones road. The inside looked like I was in a high end restaurant! There was Thai letters on the wall, and there were some artifacts too. The window view was very nice from the tables that were set there. A friendly waiter noticed me and guided me to a table. I confirmed that the restaurant was halal by asking him, and him saying yes. I was then handed a menu by a friendly waitress. After looking at it for 5 minutes, I was ready to order.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the beef Pad Thai lunch special. Pad Thai is often regarded to be one of the main national dish of Thailand. It is stir fried rice noodle with eggs, scallions, carrots, bean sprouts, soy-tamarind sauce, meat, and peanuts. For those who are allergic to nuts, they put the nuts on the side of the dish, or you can simply ask them to not put the peanuts. Pad Thai is often served as street food and casual food in Thailand. So I was basically eating a normal Thai dish. The lunch special includes lemongrass soup (Thai chicken soup), spring roll, and jasmine rice. The jasmine rice only comes with the non rice noodle dishes. To drink I got a glass of Pepsi. Not just a small glass, a really large one! I paid a total of $10.72 (tax included). The waiting time was a swift 7 minutes and 34 seconds. While waiting, I watched the traffic go on 1960.



Menu (click to view): Appetizers, Soup, Thai Salad, Entrees, Noodles & Rice, Signature Dishes, Kids, Desserts, Drinks (no alcohol served), Catering, Lunch Special
I really like how the restaurant keeps an organized structure on their menu on the website. The structure is like Masala Wok. Different prices for different kinds of meats. The prices definitely seem right. Duck is also halal, so you could enjoy a rare meat. Lunch Special is served from 11 AM to 3 PM on Mondays to Fridays for dine-in customers only.

Beef Pad Thai

The Verdict:
The Pad Thai was delicious! It definitely trumps the taste of Thai Chili. The rice noodles were perfectly cooked. The beef had flavor and was not rubbery. The vegetables were fresh. Another plus for them more making it perfectly spicy. The lemongrass soup and the spring roll were both awesome. The lemongrass soup had a lot of flavor in it, and was not too watery. The spring roll was very crispy, and awesome at the same time. This wonderful meal was washed down with a refreshing glass of Pepsi. Overall, two thumbs up for the food.
The service was really good. Everything was done with a smile. The waitress serving me was very friendly. They even have coloring books with crayons for the children under 10 years old, so it would be an ideal place to go with your family.



Conclusion:
It really feels great to have a halal Thai restaurant in northern Houston once again. With great food and great service, Anothai should be a place that you should try. You will come out a happy customer, just as I did.



Grading:
Service: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Waiting time: 10/10
Total: 29/30 = 96.7% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Anothai Cuisine
11049 FM 1960 West, Houston, Texas 77065
Phone: (281) 890-4455
Website: http://www.anothaicuisine.com/main.html
Facebook: none
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 9:30 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed 

NOT HALAL: Church's Chicken- better than KFC to say the least

Restaurant: Church's Chicken
10017 Highway 6 South, Sugar Land, Texas 77498
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/6/14

Photo Credit: http://media.marketplace.crossroadsfinder.com/business_photos/churchs-chicken.jpg

UPDATE 3/10/15: This place no longer serves halal meat. 

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Today I will be bringing you the first ever fried chicken chain! This time, it's Church's Chicken. So far, this is probably the only Church's Chicken location that serves halal meat on request. Church's Chicken is a lot like KFC. You have fried chicken combos, fries, and drinks. You even have desserts and boneless items such as boneless wings and burgers. I am a member of my mosque's youth board. I was hungry as I had not eaten anything since morning and only had a few cookies at the meeting. My friend himself was hungry, so we decided to make a trip there and eat. At first I was skeptical, but he made a call to the restaurant, and asked whether they served halal. Once they said yes, we set off to the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!

This branch is located next to the gas station at the intersection of Highway 6 and Old Richmond Road. The inside was like your typical fast food restaurant. You have the vending machines and the condiments on one side, and next to it is the cashier. Behind it were the chicken ready to be packed and given to the customers. After waiting a while in the line, it was our turn.



Let's Eat!
I ordered a two piece combo. The pieces were one leg and one breast. My friend took two legs. We both got fries and drinks. While he took Coke, I took water. The price came to $11.89 (tax included). The waiting time was 5 minutes and 4 seconds, which was not bad. You are assigned a number, and once it is called, the food is ready



Menu: http://www.churchs.com/menu.php
The only thing that is halal on request is the original chicken. You can get them in either the combo, or in large family packs for the family or events taking place either at the mosque or a wedding.

Fried Chicken Breast and Leg

The Verdict: 

It was a lot better than KFC to say the least. But honestly, this was average. Average in taste. It tasted like a normal fried chicken, while KFC tasted like cardboard. It seemed like this was an average fast-food restaurant. Instead of using processed meat, the chicken was fresh though. The fries weren't that great. It felt soggy. They were both washed down with a nice drink of water.

Service was nothing special, nor anything bad. They just confirmed the halal request, and gave the meal. Can't really expect quality service at a fast food restaurant right?

Conclusion:

Well, fast food is fast food. Normally you expect normal quality and taste of food. This makes no difference. You can come and eat here or take for an event, just like you can for other fast food restaurants. I would recommend only if you have no other option, as I would do for other fast food restaurants.

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 7/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Overall: 25/30 = 83.3% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Church's Chicken
10017 Highway 6 South, Sugar Land, Texas 77498
Phone: (281) 254-2456
Website: http://www.churchs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchschicken‎
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 10 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 10 AM - 11 PM
Caters: no

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Jones Fried Chicken- Another NY Style restaurant Deep in the Heart of Texas

Restaurant: Jones Fried Chicken
6633 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77036
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/4/14

Outside. Photo Credit: Me

UPDATE 1/31/16

The quality has plummeted significantly since my first ever visit. After the last trip I made last summer, I decided that I give up going to this place. Gyro King is honestly so much better. Rating wise, it's now a 4/10

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Hope you guys are having a great new year so far! Today I will be bringing you the first review of 2014! This place is Jones Fried Chicken. I did a contest on my instagram account (follow me @ thehalalreviewer) where the people would choose where I should go for the first review of the year. The people's word said that I should go here. I got the chance when I went to the monthly coffee and cars event. Basically in that event where people come and check out exotic cars. There were cars from Ferraris and Lamborghinis to '65 Mustangs and a 1936 Rolls Royce. I had a great time at the event. After the event was over, and I said goodbye to my friends, I made the drive from Tomball just to eat here, as promised after the vote.



Let The Experience Begin!
Jones Fried Chicken is located a few blocks after the intersection of Bellaire Boulevard and Fondren road. Next to it is a Whataburger. When you go inside, the menu is right in front of you! Quite interesting really. The seating table was very big, so big that there was an upstairs sitting area! There was a non-functioning TV sitting idly in the middle of the seating area. The kitchen is right to your left once you enter the restaurant. You could actually see them cook the food, just like they do at the Halal Guys in Manhattan. After reading the menu, I walked over and decided to make the order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the regular size chicken over rice platter. If I was not on a tight budget, I would have taken the mixed chicken and rice combo. The platter was the typical New York street food, with the chicken and the mysterious white sauce on top of the rice and the vegetables. To drink I took a bottle of water. Altogether, I paid $7.03 (tax included). The waiting time was only 2 minutes and 50 seconds. While waiting for the food, I watched them make it. The way you get the food is similar to M&M Grill. You are assigned a number, and once that number is called, your food is ready.



Menu: http://www.halaljones.com/menu.html
Basically the menu is the same as BZ Grill, which closed down last summer. The prices are wonderful, with the majority of items less than $10 unless you are dining with your family. The mixed platter is there, but you would have to ask them what the combo should contain. You can also request them to make it spicy, as they would add the mysterious red sauce to the platter. One thing that annoyed me was that canned drinks (Coke product cans) were much cheaper than water. What I suggest is that both prices should be the same. After all, water is healthier than soda right?

Chicken over rice platter

The inside

The Verdict:
What a wonderful start to the year! The food was spot on! Now I know this is nothing compared to the Halal Guys in Manhattan, but this is my first time eating New York street food! This gives me a really good first impression on how the platters taste like. Everything tasted very well and fresh. The rice was also really delicious. I heard so much about how amazing the white sauce is. Guess what? Those people are absolutely correct! It is evident by the above picture, where most of the white sauce has already been eaten up! This wonderful platter was washed down with a nice glass of water. Overall, two thumbs up for the food.
The service was nothing to praise about, or to even criticize. I got my food, and I sat down and gobbled it all up.



Conclusion:
If you feel like eating New York style halal food, and cannot make it to Manhattan to try the Halal Guys, then this place is perfect for you. It gives the perfect prelude to the epic platter that is offered in New York. This is also great for group outings or going by yourself because the prices are cheap. Once I get more money, I'll come back and try their other platters.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Waiting Time: 10/10
Total: 28/30 = 96.7% (A)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Jones Fried Chicken
6633 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77036
Phone: (713) 772-7799
Website: http://www.halaljones.com/
Facebook: they have it, but it hasn't been updated in nearly 2 years
Timings: Mon-Sat: 10 AM - 12 AM; Sun: 10 AM - 9 PM
Caters: Yes
Drive thru available

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed